Flooding problems expected to persist for a few days on Morrissey Boulevard

By Sarah N. Mattero, Globe Correspondent

High tides will continue to plague afternoon travelers with road closures on Morrissey Boulevard until Sunday, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation said.

Parts of Morrissey Boulevard closed around 11 a.m. today in both directions from University of Massachusetts Boston to Freeport Street and only the northbound side was prepared to reopen as of 1 p.m., said department spokeswoman S.J. Port. State Police were stationed in the area to divert traffic.

Exit 14 off Interstate 93 northbound was also closed for the tides. The exit reopened shortly before 1 p.m., said Department of Transportation spokesman Michael Verseckes.

Port said that the highest tide today reached 12 feet 4 inches at 11:34 a.m. The tides usually last for about two hours before subsiding.

Tomorrow, 12-foot tides are expected around 12:30, which Port said will bring traffic issues around lunchtime.

Ellen Douglas, an assistant professor and hydrologist at the University of Massachusetts Boston, said the water level rises most during astronomically high tides, the unusually high tides that occur when we are experiencing a new or full moon, due to the position of the sun and moon.

“It’s part of a natural phenomenon and it’s being accelerated by the warming of the water … ice caps melting,” said Douglas. “We will likely continue being flooded at a higher frequency and on multiple days.”

She said there is also still a lot of leftover wave action from the recent storms.

Tides about 11 feet high are expected around 1:30 p.m. Saturday and again around 2:20 p.m. Sunday, Port said.